An analysis of labor force status flows reveals that the current recession, characterized by the slowing of flows into employment, differs from the recession of 2001 and most earlier recessions, which were marked more by increasing flows out of employment

Business Employment Dynamics data are quarterly series of gross job gain and loss statistics for the U.S. economy; in autumn 2008, for the first time BLS published BED data that display gross job gain and loss statistics grouped by the number of jobs that were gained or lost

Both employment and compensation costs in China's manufacturing sector increased rapidly from 2002 to 2006; employment increased more than 10 percent during those 4 years, to 112 million, while compensation costs increased more than 40 percent, to $0.81 per hour worked

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Description:The US armed forces, among other intelligence agencies, are increasingly dependent on information and information technology for both civilian and military purposes. Although there is ample literature written on the potential impact of an offensive or defensive cyberattack on societal infrastructure, little has been written about the use of cyberattack as a national policy tool. This book focuses on the potential for the use of such attacks by the United States and its policy implications.

Since the primary resource required for a cyberattack is technical expertise, these attacks can be implemented by terrorists, criminals, individuals and corporate actors. Cyberattacks can be used by U.S. adversaries against particular sectors of the U.S. economy and critical national infrastructure that depend on computer systems and networks. Conversely, they can be used by the U.S. intelligence community with adequate organizational structure and appropriate oversight.

Focusing on the use of cyberattack as an instrument of U.S. national policy, Technology, Policy, Law and Ethics Regarding U.S. Acquisition and Use of Cyberattack Capabilities explores the important characteristics of cyberattacks and why they are relatively ideal for covert action. Experts argue that the United States should establish a national policy for launching cyberattacks, whether for purposes of exploitation, offense or defense for all sectors of government. This book will be of special interest to the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement, and the greater intelligence community.

WASHINGTON -- The current policy and legal framework regulating use of cyberattack by the United States is ill-formed, undeveloped, and highly uncertain, says a new report from the National Research Council. The United States should establish clear national policy on the use of cyberattack, while also continuing to develop its technological capabilities in this area. The U.S. policy should be informed by open national debate on the technological, policy, legal, and ethical issues of cyberwarfare, said the committee that wrote the report.

"Cyberattack is too important a subject for the nation to be discussed only behind closed doors," said Adm. William Owens, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former vice chairman and CEO of Nortel Corp., and Kenneth Dam, Max Pam Professor Emeritus of American and Foreign Law at the University of Chicago School of Law, who co-chaired the committee.

Cyberattacks -- actions taken against computer systems or networks -- are often complex to plan and execute but relatively inexpensive, and the technology needed is widely available. Defenses against such attacks are discussed, but questions on the potential for, and the ramifications of, the United States' use of cyberattack as a component of its military and intelligence arsenal have not been the subject of much public debate. Although the policy and organizational issues raised by the use of cyberattack are significant, the report says, "neither government nor society at large is organized or prepared to handle issues related to cyberattack, let alone to make broadly informed decisions."

The U.S. could use cyberattack either defensively, in response to a cyberattack from another nation, or offensively to support military missions or covert actions, the report says. Deterring such attacks against the U.S. with the threat of an in-kind response has limited applicability, however; cyberattacks can be conducted anonymously or falsely attributed to another party relatively easily, making it difficult to reliably identify the originator of the attack.

Employing a cyberattack carries with it some implications that are unlike those associated with traditional physical warfare, the report says. The outcome is likely to be more uncertain, and there may be substantial impact on the private sector, which owns and operates much of the infrastructure through which the U.S. would conduct a cyberattack. The scale of such an attack can be enormous and difficult to localize. "Blowback" to the U.S. -- effects on our own network systems -- is possible.

Clear national policy regarding the use of cyberattack should be developed through open debate within the U.S. government and diplomatic discussion with other nations, the report says. The U.S. policy should make it clear why, when, and how a cyberattack would be authorized, and require a periodic accounting of any attacks that are conducted, to be made available to the executive branch and to Congress.

From a legal perspective, cyberattack should be judged by its effects rather than the method of attack; cyberwarfare should not be judged less harshly than physical warfare simply by virtue of the weapons employed. The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), an international law regulating conduct during war, should apply to cyberattack. However, there are aspects of cyberwarfare that will not fit neatly within this structure. LOAC was designed to regulate conflict between nations, but cyberweapons can easily be used by non-state groups, making issues such as determining appropriate targets for military retaliation difficult to address. Additional legal constructs will be needed to govern cyberattacks, and the framework of LOAC and the U.N. Charter on the use of armed force would be an appropriate starting point, the report says.

This study was sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, Microsoft Corp., and the National Research Council. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. A committee roster follows.

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Top 50 rankings - City infrastructure* City Infrastructure Ranking 2009 includes the following criteria: electricity, water availability, telephone, mail, public transport, traffic congestion and airport.

Ireland Dublin , 29 April 2009

* Dublin ranks 25th of 215 in Mercer's 2009 Quality of Living Global City rankings * Vienna scores highest for overall quality of living, Baghdad the lowest * Dublin ranks ahead of several major cities including Paris (33rd ), London (38th), and Barcelona (joint 42nd with Portland, USA) in the Quality of Living survey * This year's rankings also identify cities with the best infrastructure * Singapore ranks top for city infrastructure; Dublin ranks 58th of 215 cities * Cities ranked ahead of Dublin in the City Infrastructure rankings include London (joint 8th with Frankfurt and Hong Kong), Paris (13th), Birmingham / Glasgow (ranked joint 45th)

Dublin ranks 25th of 215 (in top 12%) in the Mercer 2009 Quality of Living Global City rankings, ahead of several major cities including Paris (33rd), London (38th), and Barcelona (42nd). Vienna has passed Zurich to take the top spot as the world's city with the best quality of living, according to the Mercer 2009 Quality of Living survey. Geneva is in third position, while Vancouver and Auckland are now joint fourth in the rankings.

Patrick Robertson a Principal at Mercer commented: "As a result of the current financial crisis, multinationals are looking to review their international assignment policies with a view to cutting costs." "Many companies plan to reduce the number of medium to long-term international assignments and localise their expatriate compensation packages where possible though an allowance, based on quality of living criteria," he added.

This year's ranking also identifies the cities with the best infrastructure based on electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transport provision, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports. Singapore is at the top of this index (score 109.1) followed by Munich in second place and Copenhagen in third. Dublin is ranked 58th out of the 215 cities rated. Cities ranked ahead of Dublin in the City infrastructure rankings include London (8th), Paris (13th), Birmingham / Glasgow (ranked joint 45th).

Europe

Europe's cities once more dominate the world's top 10 for quality of living. Vienna is the city rated with the best quality of living worldwide, moving up one place in the rankings following improvements in Austria's political and social environment. The rest of the top 10 for Europe are dominated by German and Swiss cities, most of them retaining last year's ranking and scores. Zurich, in second place, is followed by Geneva (3), Dusseldorf (6), Munich (7), Frankfurt (8) and Bern (9).

Many Eastern European cities have seen an increase in quality of living. A number of countries which joined the European Union back in 2004 have experienced consistent improvement with increased stability, rising living standards and greater availability of international consumer goods. Ljubljana in Slovenia, for example, moves up four places to reach 78 while Bratislava moves up three places to 88. Zagreb moves three places to 103.

Americas

There have been few changes in the rankings for North American cities. Canadian cities still dominate the top of the index for this region. Vancouver (4) retains the top spot and Honolulu (29) ranks as the city in the United States with the highest quality of living. Washington and New York remain in positions 44 and 49 respectively.

In Central and South America, San Juan in Puerto Rico retains the highest ranking at 72, followed by Montevideo, Uruguay at 79. Port au Prince (206) in Haiti continues to rank lowest in the region and has gone down four places in the overall ranking due to food shortages experienced in 2008 and the subsequent riots.

Middle East and Africa

Dubai (77) in the United Arab Emirates and Port Louis in Mauritius (82) are the region's cities with the best quality of living. Dubai's transport facilities have witnessed improvements, with the development of its road infrastructure and expansion of its international airport and the city is up six places in the ranking.

Cape Town in South Africa, previously the city in the region with the best quality of living, has dropped substantially in this year's ratings (from 80 to 87 in 2009). This move follows violent riots in South Africa's main cities in 2008.

Asia Pacific

Auckland (4) in New Zealand retains its position as the highest ranking city for quality of living in the region. Sydney in Australia follows at 10 and Wellington in New Zealand at 12. While the majority of the region's cities retain a similar ranking to last year, Singapore (26) is the region's highest riser, up six places since 2008. The city has gained importance as a financial centre and offers a wide range of international and private schools to cater to its expatriate community. Beijing has also moved three places in the ranking, up from 116 to 113, mainly due to improvements in public transport facilities from the Olympic Games last August.

The Quality of Living Global City rankings are based on a point-scoring index, which sees Vienna score 108.6, and Baghdad 14.4. Cities are ranked against New York as the base city with an index score of 100. Mercer's Quality of Living ranking covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments.

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Each Public Papers volume contains the papers and speeches of the President of the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during the specified time period. The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In instances when the release date differs from the date of the document itself, that fact is shown in the textnote. Files are available in ASCII text and PDF formats.

Just released on 29 April 2009Book II - July 1 to September 30, 2004

______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

This report examines the role of social partner associations and collective bargaining in the economic subsector of hospital activities. The study first outlines the economic background of the sector. It then describes the relevant social partner associations in all EU Member States, focusing in particular on membership levels, their role in collective bargaining and public policy, and their national and European affiliations. The final section analyses the relevant European associations, in terms of membership composition and capacity to negotiate. The aim of the EIRO representativeness studies is to identify the relevant national and supranational social partner organisations in the field of industrial relations in selected sectors. The impetus of these studies arises from the European Commission objective to recognise the representative social partner associations to be consulted under the EC Treaty provisions. Hence, this study is designed to provide the basic information required to establish sectoral social dialogue.

______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

[excerpt] The French economy has not escaped the severe recession gripping all developed countries. After ending the year 2008 with a sharp decline, output is likely to contract further during the rest of this year, and prospects for 2010 remain highly uncertain, despite the many stimulus plans at home and abroad. The recession should be less deep than elsewhere, due inter alia to powerful automatic stabilisers. However, while the finances of big banks and households do not appear to be in as bad shape as they are in several other countries, the capacity of the French private sector to revive activity in advance of a global recovery is limited. Moreover, given the already high deficit and debt levels, the crisis will leave public finances in a serious condition.

______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

[excerpt] The purpose of this background paper is to inform debate at the High-Level Forum in Stockholm on the 14-15 May 2009. The paper consists of two sections. The first provides snapshots of key outcomes that illustrate the pressing problems in this area faced by individuals concerned and society. It compares indicators for as many OECD countries as possible, drawing on administrative and survey data. The second section summarises the policy challenges arising from these trends and important lessons learned from the individual reviews of reforms and policies in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The issues are discussed in light of the recent downturn in the global economy.

This paper provides a synopsis of issues that will be more comprehensively discussed in a Synthesis Report due in early 2010 which will include additional material from Member countries that have not participated in the thematic review.

List of FiguresFigure 1. Employment rates of people with disability are low and have been falling in many countries ........................ 12 Figure 2. Disability benefit recipiency rates are high and still increasing in many countries ....... 14 Figure A2.1. After a period of decreasing unemployment, a bleak economic outlook is forecast ...... 33 Figure A2.2. People with disability are far less likely to be employed all over the OECD ................ 34 Figure A2.3. When employed, people with disability work part-time more often than others ........... 35 Figure A2.4. People with disability are twice as likely to be unemployed, even in good times ......... 35 Figure A2.5. Incomes of people with disability are relatively low, unless they are highly-educated and have a job ............ 36 Figure A2.6. People with disability are at greater risk of living in or near poverty ............................ 37 Figure A2.7. Disability benefit rolls have evolved differently across the OECD, reflecting policy choices ............. 39 Figure A2.8. Opposite trends for unemployment and disability beneficiaries highlight substitution effects .............. 40 Figure A2.9. Older workers dominate the disability benefit rolls, as well as trends over time ........... 41 Figure A2.10. Some countries have recently managed to reduce inflows into disability benefits ........ 42 Figure A2.11. People almost never leave a longer-term disability benefit for employment ................. 42 Figure A2.12. Not enough resources go to ALMPs in comparison with what is spent on compensation ................ 43 Figure A2.13. More and more inflows into disability benefit because of mental health conditions ..... 44 Figure A2.14. Employment rates of people with mental health conditions are particularly low .......... 45 Figure A2.15. Today, many more workers are reporting high work intensity ...................................... 46

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The first issue for 2009 includes: - current macroeconomic trends and prospects; - an overview of ERM statistics for January-March 2009; - restructuring in the retail sector; - collective redundancy notifications as a potential data source on restructuring in Europe; - restructuring in Cyprus and Malta.

(Dublin, Ireland): The European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) recorded a total of 721 cases of restructuring in the European Union between 1 January 2009 and 31 March 2009, involving some 220,000 announced job losses and 90,000 announced job gains. The sectors most affected by job loss were financial intermediation, auto manufacture and the retail trade. However, in terms of job creation, retail, and hotels and restaurants figured very strongly, in particular discount stores and fast food outlets, which seem to be benefitting from the downturn.

Evidence that the global recession is worsening and deepening is showing up in the European Restructuring Monitor. Growth forecasts continue to be revised downwards while predictions regarding the inflection point marking a potential recovery of the global economy are increasingly being moved back to 2010, in some cases later. For the first quarter of 2009, the ERM quarterly has recorded the highest number of announced job losses since it started monitoring restructuring in the EU in 2002. Cases of announced job loss outnumbered those of job creation by almost three to one.

During the first quarter of 2009, 219,390 announced job losses were announced across the EU. The UK recorded the highest number of announced job losses (63,314), followed by Poland (38,975), Germany (17,461) and France (11,779). For the third quarter in a row, auto manufacture is the sector with the greatest reported ERM job loss (23,584 jobs). Other sectors with large restructuring-related job loss were retail (21,740) and financial intermediation (16,778) and machinery manufacture (16,432).

Unemployment has also spiked up very sharply in other Member States, notably in the three Baltic Member States (up between 6-9 % over the last twelve months) and Ireland (5%). While the changes are less dramatic in remaining Member States, data for the most recent three months confirm that unemployment is increasing in all Member States with the exception of Germany, France, Austria and the Netherlands where there has been widespread recourse to short-time working, partial unemployment and other forms of working time flexibility.

One small ray of light in recent ERM data is that levels of announced job creation have grown in each of the last two quarters and are now nearly double the level they were at their recent low point in the third quarter 2008. Of the 89,625 announced job gains in the previous quarter, a significant proportion were in bargain retailers and chain restaurants whose fortunes appear to prosper as those of the economy around them deteriorates.

In its latest edition, the quarterly also looks at collective redundancy notices as an alternative data source and analyses their advantages and disadvantages.

______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

[excerpt] This report reviews some of the evidence for two sets of connections: that between environmental cleaning and HCAI incidence, and that between competitive tendering and contracting out and high quality cleaning. Drawing on government, parliamentary, academic and business literature and data as well as Freedom of Information requests, it updates a previous UNISON report on contract cleaning and infection control (Davies, 2005).

UNISON, the UK's largest health union, is today calling on the Government to raise the bar on hospital cleaning by boosting the number of NHS cleaners. The call comes ahead of the union's annual health conference in Harrogate* next week (20 ­ 22 April), where Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, is due to speak.

A new report from the union** ­ Making the Connections, Contract Cleaning and Infection Control -makes the link between outbreaks of Healthcare Acquired Infections (HCAIs) such as MRSA and C Difficile and environmental contamination. The report points to evidence both in the UK and abroad that improved hospital cleaning plays a key part in controlling outbreaks of HCAIs.

AND MORE.....

______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- decreased at an annual rate of 6.1 percent in the first quarter of 2009, (that is, from the fourth quarter to the first quarter), according to advance estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter, real GDP decreased 6.3 percent.

The Bureau emphasized that the first-quarter "advance" estimates are based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency (see the box on page 4). The first- quarter "preliminary" estimates, based on more comprehensive data, will be released on May 29, 2009.

The decrease in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected negative contributions from exports, private inventory investment, equipment and software, nonresidential structures, and residential fixed investment that were partly offset by a positive contribution from personal consumption expenditures (PCE). Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased.

The slightly smaller decrease in real GDP in the first quarter than in the fourth reflected an upturn in PCE for durable and nondurable goods and a larger decrease in imports that were mostly offset by larger decreases in private inventory investment and in nonresidential structures and a downturn in federal government spending.

Motor vehicle output subtracted 1.36 percentage points from the first-quarter change in real GDP after subtracting 2.01 percentage points from the fourth-quarter change. Final sales of computers added 0.05 percentage point to the first-quarter change in real GDP after subtracting 0.02 percentage point from the fourth-quarter change.

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES....______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

Reassessing the role of older people in EuropeEurofound launches special website for European Day on Solidarity and Cooperation between Generations, 29 April 2009

Over the last 50 years there has been enormous economic and social progress in Europe and ­ although there are large regional and social differences ­ Europeans are living longer than ever before: on average eight to nine years more than in 1960. This coincides with other demographic developments: fewer children are being born, which will mean fewer people paying into state pension and healthcare systems, and a smaller pool of potential carers. The increased lifespan is great news ­ particularly if accompanied by more years in good health ­ but also poses many questions for individuals, their families and for social systems. How long do I need to work? When can I afford to retire? Does my employer value my skills? Do governments recognise my contribution in providing care and volunteering?

To mark the occasion of the 'European Day on Solidarity and Cooperation between Generations', on Wednesday 29 April 2009, Eurofound has launched a special website which brings together its recent findings, data and recommendations on issues related to the employment of older people, and active ageing issues, and the solidarity between generations.

These cover reports such as 'Living and Working in Europe', a snapshot of what it means to live and work in Europe at the start of the 21st century; 'Working longer, living better ­ Europe's coming of age', a fact sheet on pertinent issues, data and recommendations to the European debate on demographics in Europe; 'Working longer, living better ­ What companies can do', a fact sheet on the different flexible working time options that European companies put in place to meet the needs or preferences of older workers to work'; and 'A guide to good practise in age management', a report that reviews case studies from a range of organisations across the EU that have instituted good practice in recruiting, supporting and retaining older workers.

29 April 2009 will be the first European Day on Solidarity and Cooperation between Generations, as proposed during the Slovenian EU Presidency. This day will raise awareness about the need to promote intergenerational solidarity.

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The data we're including in this first launch represents just a small fraction of all the interesting public data available on the web. There are statistics for prices of cookies, CO2 emissions, asthma frequency, high school graduation rates, bakers' salaries, number of wildfires, and the list goes on. Reliable information about these kinds of things exists thanks to the hard work of data collectors gathering countless survey forms, and of careful statisticians estimating meaningful indicators that make hidden patterns of the world visible to the eye. All the data we've used in this first launch are produced and published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Division. They did the hard work! We just made the data a bit easier to find and use.

Since Google's acquisition of Trendalyzer two years ago, we have been working on creating a new service that make lots of data instantly available for intuitive, visual exploration. Today's launch is a first step in that direction. We hope people will find this search feature helpful, whether it's used in the classroom, the boardroom or around the kitchen table. We also hope that this will pave the way for public data to take a more central role in informed public conversations.

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WASHINGTON ­ Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the appointment of Sandra Polaski as deputy undersecretary for international affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB).

"Sandra's extensive experience with labor, employment and trade issues will make her an excellent leader and a great asset to the department," Secretary Solis said.

Previously, Polaski served as a senior associate and director of the trade, equity and development program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Before that, Polaski worked at the U.S. Department of State as the secretary of state's special representative for international labor affairs. In that job, she integrated labor and employment issues into U.S. trade and foreign policy and served as the lead advisor on labor provisions in the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement and the U.S.-Cambodia Textile Agreement.

Her job experience also includes work as the director of research at the secretariat of the North American Commission for Labor Cooperation.

Polaski has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dayton. She has two Master of Arts degrees, one from the University of Wisconsin and the other from the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

ILAB conducts research on and formulates international economic, trade and labor policies in collaboration with other U.S. government agencies. It also provides international technical assistance in support of U.S. foreign-labor policy objectives. ILAB works to create a more stable, secure and prosperous international economic system in which all workers can achieve greater economic security, share in the benefits of increased international trade, and have safer and healthier workplaces where the basic rights of workers and children are respected and protected. For more information, visit http://www.dol.gov/ilab/.

______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

WebCASPAR is a database system containing information about academic science and engineering resources and is newly available on the World Wide Web. Included in the database is information from several of SRS's academic surveys plus information from a variety of other sources, including the < http://www.ed.gov/NCES/> National Center for Education Statistics. The system is designed to provide multiyear information about individual fields of S&E at individual academic institutions. The system provides the user with opportunities to select variables of interest and to specify whether and how information should be aggregated. Information can be output in hard copy form or in Lotus, Excel or SAS formats for additional manipulation by the researcher.

IRIS links an online interface to a historical database with more than 2,500 statistical tables containing all industrial research and development (R&D) data published by NSF from 1953 through 1998. These tables are drawn from the results of NSF's annual Survey of Industrial Research and Development, the primary source for national-level data on U.S. industrial R&D.

IRIS resembles a databank more than a traditional database system. Rather than firm-specific microdata, it contains the most comprehensive collection of historical national industrial R&D statistics currently available. The tables in the database are in Excel spreadsheet format which are easily accessible either by defining various measures (e.g., total R&D) and dimensions (e.g., size of company) of specific research topics or by querying the report in which the tables were first published.

SESTAT is a comprehensive and integrated system of information about the employment, educational and demographic characteristics of scientists and engineers in the United States and is intended for both policy analysis and general research, having features for both the casual and more intensive data user.

SESTAT currently contains data from three NSF-sponsored demographic surveys, including 1999 survey responses from about 100,000 individuals. The NSF surveys provide compatible data which have been merged into a single integrated data system. These samples represent statistically about 13 million persons with science and engineering degrees. For additional information about the SESTAT system and the data it contains see < http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf99337/> "SESTAT: A Tool for Studying Scientists and Engineers in the United States" (NSF 99-337).

______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

"The State of Working America remains unrivaled as the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today's economy."Robert B. Reich

"It is the inequality of wealth, argue the authors, rather than new technology (as some would have it), that is responsible for the failure of America's workplace to keep pace with the country's economic growth. The State of Working America is a well-written, soundly argued, and important reference book."Library Journal

"If you want to know what happened to the economic well-being of the average American in the past decade or so, this is the book for you. It should be required reading for Americans of all political persuasions."Richard Freeman, Harvard University

"A truly comprehensive and useful book that provides a reality check on loose statements about U.S. labor markets. It should be cheered by all Americans who earn their living from work."William Wolman, former chief economist, CNBC's Business Week

"The State of Working America provides very valuable factual and analytic material on the economic conditions of American workers. It is the very best source of information on this important subject."Ray Marshall, University of Texas, former U.S. Secretary of Labor

"An indispensable work . . . on family income, wages, taxes, employment, and the distribution of wealth."Simon Head, The New York Review of Books

"No matter what political camp you're in, this is the single most valuable book I know of about the state of America, period. It is the most referenced, most influential resource book of its kind."Jeff Madrick, author of The End of Affluence

"This book is the single best yardstick for measuring whether or not our economic policies are doing enough to ensure that our economy can, once again, grow for everybody."-Richard A. Gephardt

"The best place to review the latest developments in changes in the distribution of income and wealth."-Lester Thurow

The State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty-data that enable the authors to closely examine the effect of the economy on the living standards of the American people. This edition, like the previous ones, exposes and analyzes the most recent and critical trends in the country.

About the Author Lawrence Mishel is the president of the Economic Policy Institute and was the research director from 1987 to 1999. He is the coauthor of the previous versions of The State of Working America and of The Myth of the Coming Labor Shortage and coeditor of Unions and Economic Competitiveness. Jared Bernstein is the director of the Living Standards Program and senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. He is the author of Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed? and coauthor of seven previous editions of The State of Working America. Heidi Shierholz is an economist at the Economic Policy Institute.

______________________________ This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.